Abstract: Objective:To evaluate the prognostic significance of the7th edition AJCC TNM staging system and to com -pare the difference between the 6th and 7th editions of the AJCC staging system in postoperative esophageal squamous cancer (ESCa) patients. Methods:Clinicopathologic and 5-year follow-up data of 398 ESCa patients, who received primary surgical resection during a period between January1999 and December 2004, were included. Survival analysis was con-ducted using the Kaplan-Meier curve. Log-Rank test was conducted to assess the difference between the two staging sys-tems. The χ2 test was used for comparing the difference between the groups. Results: The clinicopathologic results of these patients were staged based on the TNM staging of the two editions. The average five-year survival rate for the entire cohort was 26.9%. Using the new staging system, the number of phase Ⅰand phase Ⅳcases is increased because of the definition in the number of metastasized lymph nodes and degree of tumor differentiation. The differences in survival in the stag -es become more distinct. In the 7th edition, the 5-year survival rate is 62.5%,33.9%,15%, and3.4%, for stagesⅠ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ, respectively, showing significant differences among the survival rates of cases at various stages. Conclusions: The 7th edition AJCC TNM staging system is better able to stage the prognosis of ESCa patients compared to its previous edition. Using this edition, the number of metastasized lymph nodes can be clearly estimated and this is significant for deter -mining the correct prognosis.